What is evidence-based treatment in psychotherapy? Isn't therapy just pretty much listening and nodding? Not quite! Read the pieces here to learn more about the ways in which science informs mental health treatment.
Integrative therapies are an intuitively appealing approach. Learn about what they are and whether they make sense for you.
The term “integrative” or “integrated” therapy is used in two ways.
[Read more…]Several effective treatment options exist for people suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). A medical treatment called stellate ganglion block (SGB) is one of the newest options. SGB is an injection administered by a doctor or other healthcare professional into the neck. It works by affecting the nerves near the voicebox.
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Much attention has been cast on the relationships between clinical medicine and the pharmaceutical industries. How much has the pharmaceutical industry been influencing the treatment of depression and anxiety? The rate of use of prescription medication in the United States is higher than in other industrialized nations. The use of prescription antidepressant medication has drastically increased in the past 20 years.
In fact, a 2007 study by the CDC found that in the United States, antidepressants were prescribed more often than medications for high blood pressure or high cholesterol! It is likely that the effects of direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical marketing, such as television and radio commercials, have played an important role in the increased use of many patented antidepressant and anti-anxiety medications. These medications have been very profitable for pharmaceutical companies. In recent years, television commercials even advertise serious antipsychotic medication – even for use with depression – despite the fact that many in the field consider these drugs to be overused and to cause problematic side effects.
[Read more…]The recent history of cancer and its treatment, The Emperor of All Maladies, is an excellent read for several audiences. Those interested in the history of medicine will not find a more compelling treatment of oncology’s development over the past hundred years. Similarly, for those affected by cancer who would like to better understand the use and history of chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgical treatments for cancer, there is no better resource. It is very well written and — astoundingly — makes cellular biology a fascinating read. For these reasons and more, the book won the Pulitzer Prize for nonfiction for 2011.
For those persons suffering from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), there are effective ways to get help. In fact, research has shown two treatments for OCD to be quite effective in reducing symptoms: 1) Exposure and response prevention therapy (also known as ERP), and 2) psychotropic medication. Which is better?
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